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Albuquerque to Colorado Springs trip..yes or no?


bob_ternes

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I am planning to attend seminar in Colorado Springs in late Jan early

Feb. On other trips I have flown to a city within reasonable driving

distance of my final destination and rented vehicle to finish off the

trip. I was considering flying to Albuquerque and driving up to Colo

Springs. My friends say that road conditions could prevent this

driving leg of the trip. I know nothing of New Mexico except Bugs

Bunny took a wrong turn there once. I would appreciate any

suggestions on a preferred route and possible photo opportunities

along the way. Time is flexible and I am reasonably able driver.

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Even if you stay on the Interstate you may have problems. Last March I drove from Albuquerque to

Santa Fe on a Friday evening and had to cope with 4 inches of snow which fell during the 2-1/2 hour 60

mile drive. Much more and they would have shut down the freeway. The only major pass on the

interstate north of Santa Fe is at Raton, if that is open it should be easy but not very exciting all the way

to Colorado Springs.

 

Side trips up various mountain pass roads over the Sangre de Cristos would be rewarding if they are

open. Hope this helps. Personally I would do it!

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While I have not taken any back-road excursions in this area, I have driven this route (thru NM to CO) on I-25 and can tell you that I find the scenery painfully dull this time of year. In spring or fall there might be some good sites. If you have the spare time then do it, what the hell. I was only concerend about getting to my destination and wasn't really looking to good places to take pictures.
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Unless you intend to drive the mountains in New Mexico, the only place that you may have trouble getting through is Rotan Pass. I have made several trips to the Springs from West Texas in February and have had to wait (till the next morning) only once for the snow plows to clear the pass. I ,personally, would fly into Denver and drive to the Springs.
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Albuquerque to Colorado Springs is a 7 hour drive if the weather is good. If the weather is bad, which is common in Jan and Feb, you can count on Raton Pass being closed. There are lots of photo possibilities away from I-25 (Taos, Bandalier, etc.), but along the interstate the scenery is not that great. If you have a day (or more) to "kill", I would recommend taking a day trip(s) from Colorado Springs. Garden of the Gods is right outside of Colorado Springs. It offers great sunrise photos with Pike's Peak in the background. Great Sand Dunes National Monument is about a 2.5 hour drive and offers many photo opportunities with the Spanish Peaks and the Sangre De Cristo range nearby. That would be the suggestion from this Coloradoan. Enjoy!
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As others mentioned, occasionally snow closes I-25 this time of year, but not often. It is an easy 6-hour drive from Albuquerque to Colorado Springs. I suggest taking an extra day and spend some time in New Mexico. You could visit Santa Fe, Taos, or even go south to Bosque Del Apache, Carlsbad Caverns, and White Sands.
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I think if I were to attend a conference in the Springs, I would use my stay in the Springs as a staging ground for excursions outside of, or within the city. I disagree with some posts that say the drive from ABQ to COS is iffy. I live in Pueblo, 50 miles S of the Springs, and lived in the Springs for 30 years before that. Storms can happen, but it's rare that the drive is anything more than uneventful. And it's not particularly photogenic. If I were you, I'd consider spending some serious time wandering Garden of the Gods (not outside the city, but actually within the city limits) at sunrise. I've published two books on the area, so I can attest to the artistic quality of the place. You could also take trips to Westcliffe to shoot the Sangre de Cristos at sunrise (1 hr. from Springs), Monarch Pass (there's where you'll find snow! 2 hrs), or even consider the Pikes Peak Highway, which, as conditions permit, is open at least to Glen Cove at timberline. The previous post suggesting Great Sand Dunes is also a good idea. Very cool place!
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I think the universal message here is that I-25, being on the Plains side of the mountains, is not particularly interesting for photography at this or practically any time of the year. If you go up the west side, however, the opportunities are plentiful: Santa Fe, Taos, Great Sand Dunes, etc., etc. The roads are universally good, but not Interstate size and speed. The very thing that makes the drive interesting is the mountains, which is where the snow will fall. If you have a few extra days, try it (but check the road conditions first).
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I drove from Albuquerque to Colorado Springs at least once a month for two years as I was doing consulting work for a company in Colorado Springs. I always looked forward to the trip and was never stopped by weather. However, I drive a Ford 4wd F350 Crew Cab diesel. But, in that length of time, I only used 4wd on one occasion. I-25 is boring. My suggestion would be as follows.

 

Rent a 4wd drive like a Ford Explorer or equal. They are readily available in Albuquerque. Arrange your schedule so that you arrive in Albuquerque prior to the day you want to drive to Colorado Springs. Leave relatively early in the morning (circa 5:30). The sun won't be up unil after 7:00 which should put you past Santa Fe, and into the best part of the trip.

 

Go north on I-25 out of Albuquerque and take the St. Francis Drive Exit at Santa Fe. Go toward Santa Fe (west) and NM 84/US 285. This will take you around the south side of Santa Fe and keep you out of the one-way streets etc. On the north side of Santa Fe, St. Francis Drive will turn into 84/285.

 

Go north toward Espanola. There are some interesting things along the way but it really gets good north of Espanola. At Espanola, stay on the 4-lane that goes through downtown. DO NOT TAKE THE 285 TURNOFF.

 

You will now be on New Mexico 68 which is a very good road. Proceed north toward Taos. Along the way, you will be parallel to the Rio Grande and in a valley. You will go through a number of small communities such as Dixon, Embudo and finally Ranchos de Taos. If you want, you can stop at the church in Ranchos de Taos which everybody (except me) has photographed. You've seen Ansel's photos of it I'm sure.

 

Continue north through Taos towards Questa. Questa is a mining town with a large molybdenum mine (now closed), but still interesting. North of Questa you will start to rise up out of the Rio Grande valley and will be on an open plain.

 

As you go towards Colorado, you will enter a small town called San Luis. Take a little time, poke around some of the back streets (there are only 3-4) and you will find interesting buildings. After San Luis, you get into an area of "big agriculture" with open fields, center pivot sprinkler systems etc. The road you are on will dead end at Fort Garland. I would suggest you poke around a little as, again, there are some interesting buildings.

 

At this point, I would take a short detour to the Great Sand Dunes. Go west out of Fort Garland, about 12 miles and turn north on highway 150. About another 12 miles and you're at the Sand Dunes. They are fantastic no matter what time of day. There are always photographs available.

 

When you're finished with that, return to Fort Garland and go east on Colorado 160. This is a very nice road with LOTS of things to see. You will go through La Veta Pass which is the only place you might encounter bad weather on any day.

 

You will end up at Walsenburg, CO, at which point you will get back on I-25 and finish the trip to Colorado Springs. You should be able to arrive there by about 3-4 in the afternoon, including your side trip to the Great Sand Dunes.

 

There is another alternate route which would require you to leave earlier in the morning but still gets you to the Great Sand Dunes.

 

At Espanola, you WOULD take the 285 turnoff and go north towards Alamosa, CO. This takes you up through Tres Piedras and Antonito, CO. You are much more likely to encounter snow because the road elevation is much, much higher. But, for the past two winters, we have not had much snow, and no significant precipitation to date. Taking this route, you would end up in Alamosa, CO. Turn east on 160 for a short distance (about 1.5 miles). At highway 17, you would turn north towards Mosca. About 7 miles north of Mosca, you will turn east on a secondary road that has a Great Sand Dunes turnoff sign and go to the Sand Dunes. After that, you would proceed south down 150 and go to Fort Garland etc.

 

The second route is a little longer and iffy if a front is moving through. I would suggest monitoring the weather through the Weather Channel web site or the weather site of your choice, including satellite photos.

 

Don't take I-25, it's boring and not all that much fun. Either of the other two routes will provide you with innumerable photo opportunities.

 

Have fun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Had a little experience on I-25 between Pueblo and Colorado Springs in late January/early Feb. a couple of years ago. It was boring, except for about 20 seconds worth. You are pretty much into the prairie in that stretch and it's not too colorful that time of year. The weather can change rapidly and it can get very snowy and windy very quickly. There were snow flurries as we left Pueblo and a full fledged storm and upwards of 6" on the ground before we got to Colorado Springs. Actually we never got there. I barrel rolled (well only 1 and 3/4 rolls actually) a rental Explorer when I tried to back off from behind an 18 wheeler and get some added visibility in the blowing snow. Needless to say the rental company, credit card company and my company fought over that for a while. (The guys from Minnesota will never let the guy from Los Angeles drive them again!) Nobody hurt, but, there were well over a dozen other accidents occuring about the same time on that stretch of road due to the rapidly deteriorating conditions. The impound lot was full of towed in wrecks the next AM.
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Yeah- I like PhotoDr's suggestion best. The other wimps just don't like to have fun; and it looks like they don't have the cajones to take a one in one hundred chance that they MIGHT have to drive in snow. OOOOh, snow. Please, oh, please, please, please, don't make me drive in that awful white stuff....
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Franki,

Don't mistake common sense and a reasonable assessment of one's abilities for a lack of manhood. Bob's asking for local advice and experience is an intelligent and reasonable thing to do. Both regarding photo ops. and other considerations. We were pointing out, and very reasonably, that weather conditions in that area must be seriously considered and balanced against what is probably unproductive photographic opportunities on some possible routes. I don't drive in snow very often because we don't have snow where I live except in the surrounding mountains and there are normally chain restrictions imposed fairly quickly. Chains get required quickly because too many flatlanders and even mountain locals misjudge their abilities. The tow truck drivers and paramedics are as busy as the plow drivers. Incorrectly assessing conditions, equipment needs, etc. for a photograph wastes a little film and some time. Getting in over your head driving gets people killed whether it is driving into a whiteout or your first experience with big city freeways at rush hour.

 

I was lucky. When we went airborne the car went completely over before hitting down on the roof on the drivers side and then rolled over again ending up sitting on the drivers side. The van full of kids that was a ways back ended up sliding down the road on it's roof. Other cars got hit by cars or trucks following too close for the conditions. Most of these drivers were locals and at least a little familar with possible conditions. I wasn't and it was just plain lucky that none of us were badly injured or killed.

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Living where I do (Northern Ohio) and my occupation (farmer) exposes me to all kinds of road conditions, from whiteout snowstorms to sudden and immediate road icing. Having said that however, I`m not naive enough to think that experience qualifies me to venture anywhere in the world. It`s certainly different in the west than here. I appreciate all those who responded with suggestions and words of wisdom.
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One thing you may be overlooking, some of the roads are closed in snowstorms. In Ohio, where my wife is from, it is rare that a road is closed for a snowstorm, but in New Mexico, it is common. The state police will not let cars on the highway. If you need to be in Colorado Springs on a certain day, just plan appropriately, especially if you visit the northern mountain towns of New Mexico.
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I smell timid people not common sense. Common sense would say that the driving conditions in the southwest are good on 9 out of 10 days even in the winter. But here's the real question. What are the chances that there will be a terrible snow storm to drive through from the Denver Airport to Colorado Springs? HMMMM? Ever been to the Denver Airport? That sucker is about 20 miles east of Denver in the middle of the plains where the wind and snow come whipping across unimpeded. And, as you get closer to Denver, the snow will increase as it is caused by air coming in from the west moving up over the mountains and cooling. So, most of the snow is near the mountains or, right on I-25. Which by the way, you have to take from Denver to get to Colorado Springs.

 

How come none of the "concerned" "knowledgable" people throught about that? You turned a car over between Pueblo and Colorado Springs. I'll bet an equal number of people did the same thing on the same day between Denver and Colorado Springs. What these people are saying, is that somehow driving north is more dangerous than driving south on the same road on the same day. Doesn't work for me.

 

Heck, I've seen folks that have turned cars over on a sunny day, on a totally dry road, with no traffic in sight. Hard to explain - but they did it. No accounting for that kind of driving talent. Oh yeah, one hint. You know how you can tell familiarity with local conditions AND driving experience? The experienced people put chains on the FRONT tires of a 4wd, while the inexperienced ones put them on the rear.

 

You might also consider staying out of Death Valley. There are really bad flash floods every so often. Heck, for that matter, stay out of the bath tub. Thousands of people are killed every year in their homes by slipping in the bath tub. Maybe you shouldn't even get out of bed - something bad might happen.

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Oh yeah. Lawrence forgot to tell you one thing about the NM State Police. They'll run you down and shoot you if you ignore them when they close the road. They shot a guy last year outside of Albuquerque when he was trying to get home after they had closed the road. BAD things happen when you get out of bed.
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